Fire Risk Assessment: A Changing Landscape

A Regulated Profession for Fire Risk Assessors

The Government has committed to creating a formally regulated profession for Assessors, bringing them under the scope of the Professional Qualifications Act 2022. This means:

• Assessors will need to meet mandatory competency requirements
• They will be required to hold approved qualifications and certification
• They must be registered on a central national register
• Their conduct and competence will be subject to regulatory oversight and sanctions

For RPs, this could be a major shift. The days of relying on self‑declared competence or unverified experience are coming to an end. RPs will need to ensure that any Assessor you appoint is appropriately certified, registered, and operating within their defined scope of competence.

And the Government have suggested that they are considering going beyond fire risk assessors to the wider fire safety advisory services.

A Central Register You Can Rely On

The Government are proposing a central register which will allow RPs to verify:

• An assessor’s identity and certification level
• Their scope of competence (e.g., low‑risk, complex, high‑rise, engineered buildings)
• Their registration status and any restrictions
• Whether they have been subject to sanctions or disciplinary action

This will give RPs a level of transparency and assurance that has never previously existed in the sector.

At Ark, we have argued that the register must include insurance information, enabling RPs to understand the level and type of Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) held by an assessor, an essential factor in risk‑based procurement.

Stronger Enforcement and Real Consequences

The Government intends to strengthen enforcement powers to ensure that only competent, ethical, and properly certified Assessors operate in the market. Proposed offences include:

• Practising beyond one’s certified competence
• Impersonating a qualified FRA
• Breaching professional codes of conduct
• Failing to meet competency requirements
• Providing misleading or unsafe assessments

Sanctions may include fines, suspension, or removal from the register.  Ark has also made suggestions that these sanctions should include mandatory retraining, and crucially, publicity orders, which will make sanctions visible to RPs and the public.

For RPs, this means greater protection from poor‑quality or fraudulent assessors, but also a clearer expectation that you must appoint competent professionals.

Implementation: What Will Change and When?

Whilst no dates for implementation have been published, the Government is considering several implementation models.  Ark have suggested that the government should consider a hybrid approach, prioritising high‑risk buildings and advanced‑level assessors first, which would allow procurement processes to adapt in line with phased requirements.

What This Means for Responsible Persons

The Government have made it clear that these reforms will raise expectations on RPs in several ways:

• RP’s will need to verify competence
• RP’s will no longer be able to rely on generic statements of experience. RP’s must check the central register and ensure the FRA’s certification matches the complexity of your building.
• RP’s will need to understand competency levels
• Different buildings will require different levels of assessor competence. RPs will need to understand these distinctions to avoid non‑
• RP’s will need to maintain better documentation

With regulators gaining powers to request information, RPs must ensure that records, management arrangements, and remedial actions are well‑documented, open and accessible.

Ultimately, RP’s will need to prepare for increased scrutiny.  As enforcement strengthens, RPs can expect more robust oversight of FRA quality and fire‑safety management.

A Safer, More Transparent System

The direction of travel is clear fire risk assessment is becoming a regulated, professionalised discipline with clear standards, transparent oversight, and enforceable consequences.

For property managers and owners, this is ultimately positive. It will:

• Improve the quality and consistency of FRAs
• Reduce the risk of appointing unqualified or unsafe assessors
• Strengthen your ability to demonstrate compliance
• Enhance resident and stakeholder confidence
• Support proportionate, risk‑based decision‑making

What You Should Do Now

RPs should begin preparing by:

• Reviewing current FRA providers and their certification status
• Mapping building stock by complexity and risk profile
• Consider strengthening internal procurement processes
• Ensuring fire‑safety documentation is complete, open and accessible
• Planning for potential cost and resource implications
• Monitoring Government updates and sector guidance

Early preparation will help ensure a smooth transition as mandatory requirements come into force.

Conclusion

The Government’s proposals represent a decisive shift toward a more professional, transparent, and accountable fire‑safety environment. Property managers and owners must understand that the expectations placed on them are rising, and the competence of your appointed Fire Risk Assessor will soon be subject to far greater scrutiny.